Cell phone carries, whatcha got?

[10-Ring]

For the past two years I've either not had a cell phone or I've had a prepaid Tracfone.  The Tracfone has met my needs until recently.   Now I'm in the market for another smart phone.  I would prefer to stay away from the larger carriers such as Verizon.  Having a good coverage area would be nice as well but wouldn't be a deal breaker.  I don't need a ton of data, just want to be able to look something up when need be.  Pricing is important as well, would like to spend $40 a month or so.  Heard some good promotions advertised from Boost Mobile the other day but don't know anything about them. 

 

So, who is your carrier, are you happy?  Pros and Cons?

[GlockSpock]

I use TING. It's an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) off of Sprint (uses Sprint network). Essentially, they charge you $6 per device per month, then appropriate amount for whatever tier you hit for minutes/texts/data each. I typically pay somewhere between $20 and $40 a month depending on usage. Sprint coverage is not super great, but gets the job done.

 

If you want in iPhone, you can go find a Spring iPhone 4/5 and attach it to their service. If you want something else, most Spring phones will work with Ting but you should always check first. Customer service is top notch (you call a number, someone answers within a few rings that can actually help you vs. getting forwarded through a phone tree several times).

Edited August 15, 2014 by CZ9MM

[peejman]

We've got Sprint and have been happy.  I think it costs too much, but I can say that about lots of things.

[btq96r]

For the past two years I've either not had a cell phone or I've had a prepaid Tracfone.  The Tracfone has met my needs until recently.   Now I'm in the market for another smart phone.  I would prefer to stay away from the larger carriers such as Verizon.  Having a good coverage area would be nice as well but wouldn't be a deal breaker.  I don't need a ton of data, just want to be able to look something up when need be.  Pricing is important as well, would like to spend $40 a month or so.  Heard some good promotions advertised from Boost Mobile the other day but don't know anything about them. 

 

So, who is your carrier, are you happy?  Pros and Cons?

 

I'm pretty happy with the service/coverage of AT&T.  I've never really had a connectivity issue where I could expect service to be.  But when my contract is up, I'm  going pre-paid.  Their rates for pre-paid aren't bad at all if you bring your own phone and pop in their SIM card.  You could meet your $40 a month, have 500MB of data and still keep the coverage zone of a major carrier, with the ability to change vendors if you want and not pay a termination fee.

 

You could probably get a cheap "older" model smartphone, perfect for your limited needs, off of eBay or a refurbishment site for less that $100-$150 and use it for three years if all you need from a data plan is to run a quick search when needs be.  Sounds like the only app you really need for your phone is phone.

[NextExit]

I'm running a rooted Galaxy S3 with NET10 on AT&T. $50/month unlimited everything. They say you'll get throttled back after 2GB's but I've yet to see that happen. I've had this now for a year and 2 months. No complaints and no plans on switching.

[KKing]

We're with AT&T. I love the speed, I like the coverage, I hate the price. I've been told by several that we can get into straight talk for $50/line and that's unlimited talk/text/data on AT&T towers. When I get back from vacation I'm going to investigate Edited August 15, 2014 by KKing

[btq96r]

For those looking to make an upgrade as they switch plans, take a good look at the Nexus 5.  The reviews speak for themselves if you want to Google them.  This phone will do the same as any Apple or Samsung model that costs about 25-40% more.  Unless you are using it for your entire real and online life, this phone can last for years with software upgrades.

 

Plus, with the rumored release of Nexus 6, you can get the Nexus 5 for only $330 unlocked and ready to go with the carrier of your choice.  This is what I'm doing the day my current AT&T agreement ends, just switching to their prepaid plan on this phone.  No more paying for the phone through inflated charges in a two-year service agreement.

[10-Ring]

Well I just ordered a a HTC EVO 4G through Ting.  Looks like a decent deal.  Got the phone for $80 shipped and I get a $25 credit as well.  Thanks for the info CZ9mm, this was just what I was looking for.

[Photoguy67]

We're with AT&T. I love the speed, I like the coverage, I hate the price. I've been told by several that we can get into straight talk for $50/line and that's unlimited talk/text/data on AT&T towers. When I get back from vacation I'm going to investigate

I have straight talk and it's $45 month with unlimited talk and text but they have a soft cap of 2.5 gb of data which they say they throttle you way back to crawling on speed but it only crawls as it is. My average data speed is .12 mbs notice the decimal point!
If you want to talk and text it's good, but their data eats recycled hay from the cow. You also have to buy your own phone which you may or may not care about.

[Mike A]

I've got the AT&T Mobile Share Value Plan.  I had thought to go prepaid when my contract is up but with the MSVP if you don't have a subsidized phone it works out about the same as what it was going to be for 3 phones on a prepaid so I'll probably stick with AT&T.  I suspect the MSVP is AT&T's reaction to people figuring out that those phones aren't really "free."  IMHO AT&T and Verizon still have the better signals and if I went prepaid (and there are some decent deals out there) I'd stick with someone who is reselling AT&T or Verizon service.  YMMV.  The white zone is for loading and unloading only.

Edited August 16, 2014 by Mike A

[KKing]

[quote name="Photoguy67" post="1180032" timestamp="1408146616"]I have straight talk and it's $45 month with unlimited talk and text but they have a soft cap of 2.5 gb of data which they say they throttle you way back to crawling on speed but it only crawls as it is. My average data speed is .12 mbs notice the decimal point! If you want to talk and text it's good, but their data eats recycled hay from the cow. You also have to buy your own phone which you may or may not care about.[/quote] Ah, thanks for the info. I couldn't handle that honestly. We share 10gigs now, just the word "unlimited" lured me in

[TripleDigitRide]

I've been with Sprint for several years, and I've been happy. Since buying and doing away with Nextel, their coverage area has really increased. I travel a lot, and I rarely have coverage issues.

I pay $89 (after taxes) for unlimited everything. If you use your phone a lot, I don't think there's a better deal than Sprint's unlimited plans. Unlike most other carries, Sprint's unlimited plans are truly unlimited. Some carriers quit offering real unlimited plans, and some of those who still do want well over $100/month.

Some of the carriers who claim to offer unlimited plans sneak in restrictions and/or stipulations. Sprint does not. They are truly unlimited. No restrictions or throttling back on data usage after a certain amount. No unlimited talk minutes that are restricted to certain time periods. No cell phone/land line restrictions. Then there are those that have lousy coverage.

 

If i were to ever switch, Verizon would be my only consideration. Their coverage is better, but they'd have to be competitive where pricing is concerned. At last check, in order to get a plan at least equal to the one I have with Sprint, I'd have to pay $30 or more each month. If I had coverage issues with Sprint, I may be willing to pay more through Verizon. But i don't, so I don't see any real reason to change.

Edited August 16, 2014 by TripleDigitRide

[Sam1]

I use TING. It's an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) off of Sprint (uses Sprint network). Essentially, they charge you $6 per device per month, then appropriate amount for whatever tier you hit for minutes/texts/data each. I typically pay somewhere between $20 and $40 a month depending on usage. Sprint coverage is not super great, but gets the job done.

 

If you want in iPhone, you can go find a Spring iPhone 4/5 and attach it to their service. If you want something else, most Spring phones will work with Ting but you should always check first. Customer service is top notch (you call a number, someone answers within a few rings that can actually help you vs. getting forwarded through a phone tree several times).

 

+1 for this, found out about ting right after we got suckered into a two year agreement with verizon.  Service is good with VZW, but we're also paying $80/month per phone.  My usage through ting would be $33/month

[TripleDigitRide]

+1 for this, found out about ting right after we got suckered into a two year agreement with verizon.  Service is good with VZW, but we're also paying $80/month per phone.  My usage through ting would be $33/month

I tried Ting for my teenage daughter, but that didn't work out very well. If you don't use your phone (talk, text, data) a lot, Ting would be great. It took one month to realize Ting wasn't for her. I wasn't willing to get her a phone with a contract, so she's now using Boost Mobile. It works great for her, and it's $55/month after taxes and whatnot.

[Murgatroy]

I pay $25 a month for 300 minutes of talk, and unlimited text and data on Virgin. The plan costs $35 now, but as long as I stay with a 3G smartphone, I stay at $25.

 

I have been on Virgin Mobile for almost fifteen years, and I can't imagine going elsewhere.

[Sam1]

I tried Ting for my teenage daughter, but that didn't work out very well. If you don't use your phone (talk, text, data) a lot, Ting would be great. It took one month to realize Ting wasn't for her. I wasn't willing to get her a phone with a contract, so she's now using Boost Mobile. It works great for her, and it's $55/month after taxes and whatnot.

 

Republic Wireless is about the same thing as ting except you get unlimited texting and unlimited talking and unlimited data - but you cannot tether/hotspot unless you root the phone.  Same price as ting too and uses the same network

 

RW works great for my wife, but I have to be able to tether occasionally and send less than 100 text or talk 100 minute son the phone so ting is the best for my situation.

[10-Ring]

While shopping and doing my research it seems very common for companies to advertise "Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data" then the fine print will say "up to 500mb data."  I'm not sure how they are able to advertise 500mb of data as unlimited.  Just beware when doing your own shopping and read the fine print.

Edited August 17, 2014 by 10-Ring

[bronco302]

Your already in but my wife and I like Ting. We don't use data just wifi. Have not had a $40.00 yet.

Joe W.

[10-Ring]

I think it will work well for me.  I would like to have the ability to look something up and check weather when need be.  My current Tracfone was working great and 180 minutes were getting me through about 3 months so that cam out to about $7 per month.  This past month I used up 150 minutes.  Still probably pales in comparison to what most people use.  If Ting works well I think it will be great, last time I had a smart phone it was with Verizon and I was paying out $100 a month for it.  No desire to go back to that. 

[gregintenn]

What's wrong with Verizon? I used them for years, and am quite happy with their service thus far.

[nightrunner]

Im with Verizon. In Manchester/Coffee county area, if you dont have Verizon service, either through Verizon itself or through another smaller service using Verizons network, you dont have service. Sprint, AT&T, or anybody else is extremely spotty, might as well not even have a phone.

When I moved to Smyrna, I just kept what I have, no complaints, a bit higher than others but Ill take the extra coverage that works where I go and accept the extra cost

[Sam1]

What's wrong with Verizon? I used them for years, and am quite happy with their service thus far.

The $80 per phone monthly bill is what's wrong with them lol

[div]

AT&T with a OnePlus One. Had to switch off of a grandfathered unlimited data Verizon plan to use the One, but the phone is outstanding. I'm a heavy data user, 8-12gb per month and AT&T so far is outperforming my old 4g Verizon plan, but costing a bit more. Sent from my One using Tapatalk

[gregintenn]

The $80 per phone monthly bill is what's wrong with them lol

Understood. I've never priced shopped them, mainly because they are the only game in town if you want service a lot of places I go.

[jtmaze]

I am with AT&T and have been for over 10 years now. It is a little more costly than a prepaid plan but if I have a problem I can call and they fix it immediately. I don't know if this is due to the length of time we have been with them or what. When I moved to the country and had terrible coverage they even sent me a wifi tower that allows my phone to work over the net when no signal in basement. They did this free of charge. I do pay a premium but get great service from them.